Small Steps for Shark and Skate Conservation taken at NAFO

SAI News Release

Media contact: Liz Morley: 843.693.5044

Halifax, Nova Scotia. September 23, 2011. Conservation efforts fell short at this week's annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) as fishing powers agreed to cut international quotas for threatened skates by just half the amount advised by scientists, and to require reporting of incidental shark catches by broad category rather than by species.

"Although we are pleased that the NAFO skate quota will no longer be twice as high as scientists advise, it is still deeply disappointing to witness another year of the European Union and Canada putting the interests of their fishermen above their conservation commitments and the long-term health of exceptionally vulnerable populations," said Sonja Fordham, President of Shark Advocates International.

Following late-night negotiations, NAFO Parties today formally adopted an agreement to reduce the 2012 quota for thorny skate from 12,000 tons (t) to 8,500 t, just halfway toward the quota advised by scientists (5,000t). Earlier in the week, Canada had suggested phasing in the advised catch reduction over two years (8,500t in 2012) while the EU proposed adopting the scientific advice right away (2012), but in a free-for-all manner that favored European fishermen. The US had proposed a 5,000t quota for 2012 through across-the-board allocation reductions. Parties pledged to reconsider scientific advice for skates next year.

Northwest Atlantic skates are fished mainly by vessels from Spain, Portugal, Canada, and Russia. Thorny skates make up the vast majority (~95%) of this mixed skate species catch, more than half of which is taken by Spanish fishing vessels. Thorny skates are classified as Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). NAFO scientists have long warned that thorny skates have very low reproductive capacity (due to slow growth and few offspring) and that their population is at a low level; they have been advising NAFO Parties to roughly halve thorny skate catches since 2008. At the 2010 NAFO meeting, the EU, Canada, and the US committed to develop measures in line with skate scientific advice in 2011. Recent reported skate catches have actually been well under NAFO quotas. Spanish fishermen stand to be the most directly affected by cuts, while Canada is focused on preserving future fishing opportunities.

The US also proposed to improve reporting of sharks taken incidentally in NAFO trawl fisheries by requiring fishermen to record such catches by species. Because of objections from Japan, Parties agreed to require shark catches be identified simply as "dogfish" or "large sharks" while still encouraging more detailed reports.

"We thank the US for remaining steadfast in the uphill battle for sound shark and skate conservation measures at NAFO and other international fisheries bodies," added Fordham.

Shark Advocates International (SAI) is a project of The Ocean Foundation established to provide leadership in advancing sound policies for sharks and rays. Based on nearly 20 years of shark conservation achievement, SAI works to secure science-based limits on shark fishing and trade, protection for endangered species, and stronger bans on shark finning.